Interchangeable and removable personal adornment accessories

ABSTRACT

A removably attachable adornment device includes an adornment body having a front surface and a rear surface; a first portion of hook and loop fastener material attached to the rear surface; and one or more attachment members extending from the rear surface. Each attachment member includes a first end attached to the adornment body and a second end having a complementary portion of hook and loop fastener material to removably attach to the first portion of hook and loop fastener.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application62/501,642, filed May 4, 2017, and titled “Removable Accessories forFlip-Flop or Sandal Type Footwear.”

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This application relates to personal accessories and, more specifically,to interchangeable and removable personal adornments attachable to avariety of items, such as a shoe or a handbag.

BACKGROUND

Fashion accessories provide an opportunity to create unique andindividualized fashion for a desired look. For example, flip-flop andstrap-style sandals are increasingly popular for many daily activities.When made of water-resistant materials such as rubber, sandals are wornat the beach, swimming pool, or other water-related activities. Manymanufacturers do not embellish these types of sandals, as awater-resistant embellishment such as one made out of rubber could beunattractive and a non-rubber embellishment could easily be damaged bywater or sand. When an embellished shoe is desired, the user wouldtypically have to buy footwear that has embellishments that arepermanently attached.

While there is prior art showing fastening systems for apparelembellishments, they are limited by the need to place a permanent ortemporary fastener (such as adhesive, hook and loop surfaces, andmagnets) directly on the item of apparel as well as on the fashionaccessory, creating a time-consuming and difficult way for thefashionable pieces to attach or remove from the item of apparel andleaving an unsightly and unfashionable fastener visible on the item ofapparel when the fashion accessory is detached. Moreover, integrating anadornment into an item, such as by permanently affixing the adornmentdirectly onto the item or by sewing or bonding the adornment, limits theuser to a single style.

SUMMARY

Described below is a removably attachable adornment device includes anadornment body having a front surface and a rear surface; a firstportion of hook and loop fastener material attached to the rear surface;and one or more attachment members extending from the rear surface. Eachattachment member includes a first end attached to the adornment bodyand a second end having a complementary portion of hook and loopfastener material to removably attach to the first portion of hook andloop fastener.

In some embodiments, each of the attachment members is made of astretchable material. For some of these embodiments, each attachmentmembers is positioned to wrap around a strap portion of an item ofapparel, and each second end is positioned to attach to the firstportion of hook and loop fastener material. For some embodiments, thecomplementary portion of hook and loop fastener material is either ahook type or a loop type fastening material and the first portion ofhook and loop fastener material is a hook or loop type fasteningmaterial of opposite polarity. In certain embodiments the adornment bodyincludes (a) a storage compartment constructed to receive and contain apersonal item and (b) a closure element configured to allow access tothe storage compartment for placement of the personal item into andremoval of the personal item from the storage compartment.

Also described is a removably attachable adornment device include afastener having multiple attachment members (sometimes made of astretchable material), where each attachment member has a first endattached to a central body and a second end comprising hook and loopfastener material. The adornment device also includes an adornmenthaving a hook and loop type fastening material for removably attachingto a complementary hook and loop typed fastener material on the centralbody.

In some of these embodiments the attachment members have a hook typefastening material for attaching to the adornment with a loop typefastening material. In others the adornment is affixed to the centralbody along a mounting surface. In still others, the adornment has adecorative side that is outwardly directed when the adornment isconnected to the central body. In other embodiment the adornment isinterchangeable as an accessory or is interchangeable with anotheradornment design.

Also described is a removably attachable adornment device having a bodycomprising a hook and loop type fastener material positioned to allowremovable attachment to an item of apparel; an adornment elementdisposed on the body; a light source (such as a light-emitting diode)mounted within the body and positioned to illuminate the adornment; anda power source mounted within the body to provide power to the lightsource. In some embodiments the adornment device includes a holepositioned to receive the light source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate various exemplary embodiments forcarrying out the invention claimed at the end.

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary top view (or front view) of a removableadornment accessory for an item of apparel, such as sandal-type footwearor a handbag;

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary back view (or rear view) of theremovable adornment accessory of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary back view of the removable adornmentaccessory when affixed to an item of apparel, such as sandal-typefootwear;

FIG. 1D shows an exemplary top view of the removable adornment accessorywhen affixed to a sandal;

FIG. 2A illustrates an alternative embodiment for attachment of aremovable adornment accessory to an item of apparel such as a sandal, inwhich a fastener for the removable adornment accessory releasablyattaches to the item of apparel;

FIG. 2B illustrates a view of the fastener as it releasably attaches tothe sandal;

FIG. 2C illustrates the adornment accessory (in the form of a flower)detached from the surface of the fastener of FIGS. 2A and 2B;

FIG. 2D illustrates the adornment accessory while affixed to thefastener, which in turn is affixed to the item of apparel;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D illustrate another alternative embodiment of aremovable adornment accessory that includes both an encasement housingwith a light and a decorative adornment (in the form of a flower), showndetached from and attached to a flip-flop sandal;

FIG. 4A shows the attachment of two removable adornment accessories attwo different locations on sandal-type footwear;

FIG. 4B shows the undersides of the two adornment accessories of FIG. 4Aas affixed on the sandal;

FIG. 4C is a top view of the sandal with the two adornment accessoriesaffixed to it, one on a side strap and one on a center strap;

FIG. 4D is a top view of a flip-flop sandal having two adornmentaccessories like those of FIG. 4A attached to it, one on a side strapand one atop the sandal “post”;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate an alternative embodiment of a removableadornment accessory designed for attachment across two straps of aflip-flop type sandal;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate alternative embodiments of removableadornment accessories attached to various items of apparel, including ahead band, an ankle strap on a high-heeled shoe, a purse strap, and aclothing strap (e.g., the shoulder strap of a woman's blouse or dress);

FIG. 7A illustrates an alternative embodiment of a removable adornmentaccessory having a base portion with a storage compartment and a lidportion having a decorative feature; and

FIG. 7B illustrates yet another embodiment of a removable adornmentaccessory having a zippered storage compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to a multitude of sampleembodiments for carrying out the invention covered by the claims thatfollow and equivalents thereof. In this description, reference is madeto the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like referencenumerals throughout. It is an object of the invention to allow quick andeasy attachment and detachment of an interchangeable and removableadornment accessory to a personal item of apparel, such as a shoe orhand bag, for the purpose of personalizing the apparel item in a mannerthat has no lasting effect on the appearance, style, design, orfunctionality of the apparel item.

FIG. 1A shows a top/front view of one embodiment of a removableadornment accessory 10 designed for releasable attachment to an item ofapparel, such as a shoe or a handbag. The adornment accessory 10includes a decorative element 12 (a faux flower in the example shownhere) that allows the wearer of the apparel item to express individualstyle when and as desired by adding, interchanging, and removing suchadornment accessories at will, all without permanently altering ordefacing the original design and structure of the apparel item. As shownin FIG. 1A the adornment accessory 10 includes one or more fasteningelements 14 designed to loop around some portion of the apparel item(e.g., a strap on a shoe, a handbag, or a blouse or dress) and one ormore releasable attachment elements 16 designed to hold the fasteningelements 14 (and thus the adornment accessory 10) in place on theapparel item until the wearer chooses to release them.

The fastening elements 14 are typically formed from a flexible fabric orcloth-like material, such as spandex or neoprene, but a wide variety ofmaterials (including natural materials like leather and syntheticmaterials like vinyl or plastic) are suitable for use as desired by thedesigner of the adornment accessory 10. Elastic materials areparticularly useful for accessories designed for attachment to multipletypes of apparel items of varying thickness. The attachment elements 16can also be formed from a various materials having a variety ofstructures, but, as described below with reference to FIG. 1B, hook andloop fastener material (such as that sold under the Velcro® brand) isparticularly well suited for use in constructing a removable adornmentaccessory 10 of the various types described here. Hook and loop fastenermaterial has two mating portions with opposite “polarities”: The “hook”portion and the “loop” portion. When the hook and loop portions areplaced in contact with each other, the two portions “bond” or “adhere”to each other in a manner that is difficult to defeat apart from strongpulling forces, which are typically provided by a human hand. Thedecorative element 12 can also be made of a variety of materials;virtually any material selected by its designer will suffice.

FIG. 1B is a back/rear view of the adornment accessory 10 of FIG. 1A. Inthe example shown here, the attachment elements 16 comprise both therear surface of the decorative element 12 and the free ends of thefastening elements 14. While various types of fastening systems might besuitable for use across various accessory designs, the attachmentelements 16 of the adornment accessory 10 shown here comprise a hook andloop type material that allows secure but easily releasable attachmentof the accessory to the apparel item. For this embodiment, the “loop”portion of the hook and loop fastener is placed, for example, on therear surface of the decorative element 12, and the “hook” portion isplaced on the free ends of the fastening elements 14. In operation, thefastening elements 14 are wrapped snugly around a portion of the apparelitem to which the decorative accessory is to be attached, and then the“hook” portions of the attachment elements 16 are secured to the “loop”portions, thereby holding the adornment accessory 10 securely in placeagainst the item of apparel.

FIG. 1C shows the adornment accessory 10 attached to the straps 24 of aflip-flop type sandal 20, with the fastening elements 14 (two of them inthis example) secured on either side of the sandal “post” 26 that slipsbetween the sandal wearer's first two toes. The fastening elements 14wrap snugly around the straps 24 on each side of the sandal post 26 andare secured when the wearer mates the hook and loop portions of theattachment elements 16. FIGS. 1C and 1D together show the adornmentaccessory 10 secured to a traditional and simple flip-flop sandal 20having three basic components: A sole 22 that sits under the wearer'sfoot; an upper section formed by straps 24 that embrace the uppersurfaces of the wearer's foot and attach directly to the sole at one endof the straps; and a post 26 that extends from the sole 22 to connectthe other end of the straps 24 to the sole, positioned so that the post26 fits between the wearer's first two toes. The post 26 has a post base28 embedded in the sole 22 to anchor the post to the sole 22. The post26 may be integrally formed with the straps 24 (such as in a “wishbone”style design), or the straps 24 may be separate elements attached andfixed to the post 26, as desired by the sandal's designer.

In general, the design of an item of apparel such as a sandal 20 isfixed by the designer and manufacturer and is not changeable oncepurchased by the wearer without defacing the item. This limits theusefulness and fashionability of the sandal 20 for the wearer, who isable to match it for wear only with outfits of a certain fashionableaesthetic. An adornment accessory 10 like those described here, however,allows the wearer to change the appearance of the sandal 20 at will,making the sandal 20 suitable for wear with a much wider selection ofoutfits or allowing the wearer to give a new look to a single outfit.The adornment accessory 10 may make the casual and inexpensive sandalseem more decorative, fancy, and expensive. In addition, the adornmentaccessory 10 may be used to color-coordinate the sandal with otherelements of the wardrobe, such that a single pair of sandals may becoordinated with many different outfits or worn on many differentoccasions by changing the decorative accessory attached to it.

It is understood, of course, that sandals are only one type of apparelitem for which removable adornment accessories such as these are useful;most apparel items in general can benefit from these accessories,including dressy shoes, pants, shirts, coats, hats, bags or purses, andhair accessories. In fact, the potential uses for the accessoriesdescribed here are limited only by the imaginations of designers andusers of the accessories. Other uses include on items such as zippers,steering wheels, ski poles, and personal electronics.

FIG. 2A-2D are cut-away views showing attachment of a removableadornment accessory to an article of footwear, such as a sandal 220,using a separate removable fastener 200 that itself releasably attachesto the sandal 220 and to the adornment accessory. FIG. 2A showsplacement of the fastener 200 in relation to the sandal 220, the sandalstrap 250, and the sandal post 240. The fastener 200 includes a layer offabric 215 with an exposed outer surface 205 comprising either the hookportion or loop portion of a hook and loop fastener material. Extendingfrom the fastener 200 are two fastening elements 230 (similar to thoseshown in FIGS. 1A-1C) that each includes at its free end 210 the portionof the hook and loop material opposite that found on the outer surface205 of the fastener 200.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the fastening elements 230 stretch around thesandal strap 250 in the general direction indicated by arrows 235,securing the fastener 200 to the sandal 220 when the loop or hookmaterial at the ends of the fastening elements 230 mate with theopposite-polarity hook or loop material on the outer surface 205 of thefastener 200. As shown in FIG. 2C, the fastener 200 releasably attachesto a sandal 220, and an adornment accessory 260 in turn separatelyattaches to the fastener 200. The adornment accessory 260 comprises adecorative element 270 having a bottom surface 280 that includes a hookand loop material. The portion of hook and loop material included on thebottom surface 280 of the adornment accessory 260 is opposite thatincluded on the outer surface 205 of the fastener 200, so that theadornment accessory 260 removably attaches to the fastener by mating thetwo opposing hook and loop portions.

FIG. 2D shows the adornment accessory 260 with its decorative element270 secured in place to the fastener 200. In operation, the fastener 200is attached to the sandal 220 by centering the fastener 200 over thesandal post 240 with the outer surface 205 facing upwards, wrapping thefastening elements 230 around the sandal straps 250 on each side of thesandal post 240, and mating the hook and loop material at the free ends210 of the fastening elements 230 with the hook and loop material on theouter surface 205 of the fastener 200. The adornment accessory 260 isthen secured to the fastener 200 by mating the hook and look material onits bottom surface 280 to the opposing material on the outer surface 205the fastener 200.

FIG. 3A shows in exploded view an adornment accessory 300 withadditional decorative features. The adornment accessory 300 shown hereincludes a decorative accessory 305 having a decorative element 310 (aflower in this example) with a hole 311 in its center to receive alight-generating element, such as a light-emitting diode 380 thatresides within an encasement. The encasement includes a top encasement350 portion having a hole 351 through which the light-emitting diode 380protrudes. A bottom encasement 365 portion includes both a batterycompartment 375 (which houses a battery and includes a cover andcover-opening lever 376) and an on/off switch 370. Together the topencasement 350 and bottom encasement 365 encase and power thelight-emitting diode 380. Attached to the bottom encasement 365 are twofastening elements 385 (much like those described above) having hook andloop material at their free ends 390. Hook and loop surfaces 395 arealso affixed onto the underside of the bottom encasement 365 to allowmating with the free ends 390 of the fastening elements 385.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the fully assembled adornment accessory 300 ofFIG. 3A. The light-emitting diode 380 protrudes through the decorativeelement 310 and illuminates the decorative element 310 when power isswitched on by the wearer. The fastening elements 385 in this viewdangle from the bottom of the adornment accessory 300, with the hook andloop material exposed at the free ends 390. The encasement 350 also hasits hook and loop surfaces 395 exposed on its underside.

FIG. 3C show the underside of the adornment accessory 300 secured inplace to the sandal 320. The adornment accessory 300 is centered overthe sandal post 340, and the two fastening elements 385 are wrappedaround the sandal straps 330 on each side of the sandal post 340. Thehook and loop material at the free ends 390 of the fastening elements385 mate with the opposing hook and loop surfaces 395 on the undersideof the encasement to attach the adornment accessory 300 securely to thesandal 320. FIG. 3D shows the adornment accessory 300 secured in placeto the sandal 320.

FIG. 4A shows a sandal 460 having two adornment accessories 400 attachedin different places. Each adornment accessory 400 includes a decorativeelement 420 having hook and loop material on its bottom surface 435 andone or more fastening elements 440 each having hook and loop material onits free end 430. In this example, one of the adornment accessories 400is affixed to an upper strap 450 of the sandal, and the other is affixedto a toe strap 455. Though both adornment accessories 400 are depictedas having similar design (a flower in each case), each can take whateverform the wearer desires.

FIG. 4B shows the undersides of the two adornment accessories 400secured in place to the sandal 460, one on the toe strap 455 and one onthe upper strap 450. FIG. 4C shows the sandal 460 with the adornmentaccessories 400 affixed to the side strap 450 and the toe strap 455.FIG. 4D shows a flip-flop style sandal 410 with the two adornmentaccessories 400 attached to a side strap 480 and atop the post 470 ofthe sandal 410.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C together show an adornment accessory 500 designedto span the width of the wearer's foot and attach to the straps 555 of asandal 560 on either side of the foot. FIG. 5A shows a bottom view ofthe adornment accessory 500 on which two hook and loop surfaces 535reside at distal ends of the bottom surface of the accessory 500.Fastening elements 540 extend from each of the hook and loop surfaces535 and themselves include hook and loop material at their free ends530. In FIG. 5A the fastening elements are shown in open position, witharrows 545 showing the directions in which the fastening elements 540wrap around the sandal 560 to fasten them to the sandal 560.

FIG. 5B shows the adornment accessory 500 as it is being fastened to thesandal 560, with each of the fastening elements 540 wrapping around oneof the sandal straps 555. FIG. 5C shows the sandal 560 with theadornment accessory 500 secured in place, attached to the straps 555 oneither side of the wearer's foot.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D show an adornment accessory 600 attached tovarious articles of clothing. FIG. 6A shows the accessory 600 attachedto a hair accessory, such as a headband. FIG. 6B shows the accessory 600interchangeably worn on the ankle strap of a high-heeled shoe. FIG. 6Cshows the accessory 600 attached to a clutch, purse, or handbag. FIG. 6Dshows the accessory 600 interchangeably worn on an article of clothingsuch as the shoulder strap of a woman's blouse or dress.

FIG. 7A shows yet another type of adornment accessory 700, one thatincludes a storage compartment 725 hidden beneath a lid 720 with adecorative element 710 on top. The storage compartment 725 has a cavityto provide for storage of personal items such as jewelry, money, ormedication. The storage compartment 725 includes a hook and loopmaterial on its bottom surface 735. Two fastening members 740 extendfrom the bottom surface 735, each having a hook and loop material at itsfree end 730, which serve to secure the accessory to an item of apparelin the manner described with reference to other embodiments above.

FIG. 7B shows an adornment accessory 700 having a storage compartment725 sealed by a zipper closure 750 (or other similar means), which isespecially convenient when the wearer wishes to carry valuables,medication, money, or other personal articles out of sight. The designof the adornment accessory 700 allows the wearer to easily dismount theaccessory 700 from one item of apparel and remount it to another withoutremoving the contents of the compartment 725. In each case, thevaluables and other personal items are hidden out of sight for ownersafety and security, and the user is allowed the convenience of goingout without a bulky purse or a wallet when the occasion arises.

What is claimed is:
 1. A removably attachable adornment devicecomprising: an adornment body having a front surface and a rear surface;a first portion of hook and loop fastener material attached to the rearsurface; one or more attachment members extending from the rear surface,each attachment member having: a first end attached to the adornmentbody; and a second end having a complementary portion of hook and loopfastener material to removably attach to the first portion of hook andloop fastener.
 2. The removably attachable adornment device of claim 1,where each of the attachment members comprises a stretchable material.3. The removably attachable adornment device of claim 1, where thecomplementary portion of hook and loop fastener material compriseseither a hook type or a loop type fastening material, and where thefirst portion of hook and loop fastener material comprises hook or looptype fastening material of opposite polarity.
 4. The removablyattachable adornment device of claim 1, wherein each of the attachmentmembers is positioned to wrap around a strap portion of an item ofapparel and each second end is positioned to attach to the first portionof hook and loop fastener material.
 5. The removably attachableadornment device of claim 1, where the adornment body comprises: astorage compartment constructed to receive and contain a personal item;and a closure element configured to allow access to the storagecompartment for placement of the personal item into and removal of thepersonal item from the storage compartment.
 6. A removably attachableadornment device, comprising: a fastener having a plurality ofattachment members, wherein each attachment member has: a first endattached to a central body; and a second end comprising hook and loopfastener material; and an adornment having a hook and loop typefastening material for removably attaching to a complementary hook andloop typed fastener material on the central body.
 7. The removablyattachable adornment device of claim 6, wherein the plurality ofattachment members each comprise a stretchable material.
 8. Theremovably attachable adornment device of claim 6, wherein the pluralityof attachment members have a hook type fastening material for attachingto the adornment with a loop type fastening material.
 9. The removablyattachable adornment device of claim 6, wherein the adornment is affixedto the central body along a mounting surface.
 10. The removablyattachable adornment device of claim 6, where the adornment has adecorative side that is outwardly directed when the adornment isconnected to the central body.
 11. The removably attachable adornmentdevice of claim 6, wherein the adornment is interchangeable as anaccessory.
 12. The removably attachable adornment device of claim 6,wherein the adornment is interchangeable with another adornment design.13. A removably attachable adornment device compromising: a bodycomprising a hook and loop type fastener material positioned to allowremovable attachment to an item of apparel; an adornment elementdisposed on the body; a light source mounted within the body andpositioned to illuminate the adornment; and a power source mountedwithin the body to provide power to the light source.
 14. The removablyattachable adornment device of claim 13, where the adornment deviceincludes a hole positioned to receive the light source.
 15. Theremovably attachable adornment device of claim 13, wherein the lightsource comprises a light emitting diode.